Tag Archive: alternative medicine

Are you ever asked, “Why do you go to so much trouble trying to be more sustainable?”

If so, keep reading for some objective responses that don’t involve tree hugging.

Frequent reasons for people not wanting to do more include not having enough time, money, or desire – after all, life is short, and money is scarce. But life could be much shorter and money much scarcer without at least some effort to live sustainably. Although death can come knocking at surprising times, such as after a freak accident involving rabid skunks, there are things we can control in life and things we can’t control. Ignoring information about what we CAN control leaves us at the mercy of both.

One of the biggest reasons I’m choosing to live sustainably is because my first two decades of life were so unsustainable, I felt that the quality of my life made living less worthwhile. I coped with my poor health by embracing creative escapes from reality through reading, art, and music. Switching to a more sustainable life, however, is not a light switch turning on good health. Many of you know I’ve been struggling with gluten intolerance that damaged my gut and kept my weight too low. The lab technician says that this began about 12 years ago, when I was 15 and still living unsustainably, not to mention taking loads of pharmaceuticals. Now that I’ve been diagnosed with stage 3 endometriosis, the doctor said such an advanced stage must have begun close to when puberty began. Thus, my lifestyle cannot be held up as a reason for disease or health (yet). I think of it as planting an orchard today to enjoy the fruits 20 years from now. It may take awhile…but it’s something I can choose to do, unlike avoiding a meteor collision.

What will you do to live more sustainably and try to avoid cancer in 2013?

Here’s an interesting article from Care2.com about the difference between believing we can heal ourselves, and shaming ourselves or others for being sick. I had to share this because I had no idea some people focused on Western medicine could misunderstand when alternative medicine is suggested, as though the sick person had brought the disease on themselves or could cure themselves if they really wanted to.

This is a third update to our previous posts, Healing from an Ovarian Cyst Naturally, and 35 Days Pain-Free (the second update). I’m sorry to say that the alternative medicine approach did not work for me in the long run – it eliminated my symptoms, and increased my overall health and ability, but did not shrink or cure the large complex cyst on my left ovary. My follow-up ultrasound revealed that the cyst still hovered around 9cm in size, not getting much bigger or smaller since it was discovered in April 2012. View full article »

The Free Weekly is out today, and it’s all about the Party in My Pants! (ahem, meaning non-disposable menstrual products)

Sorry for the delay on Ripples posts; Ryan got sick, then I got sick, and Thanksgiving occurred somewhere in there along with many Ripples’ Cookie orders to fill (more on that in a future post). I’m still feeling crummy, but wanted to add links to the sustainable menstrual products mentioned in Making Ripples this week. Check out our column on Periods for the Planet, and enjoy the products listed below from these online retailers (no I’m not being paid to say this, actually I just find the idea of rainbow owls on a soft fleece pad much more appealing than bleached cotton disposables). Also, click below to view and print a brochure I made (Women’s Alternatives) that you can give to a girl or woman who may be interested in reducing waste and declaring her period for the planet! View full article »

15 Tips for Keeping Up with Your Dream

It’s time to go Back to School, but the classroom isn’t the only place to use folders, homework agendas, and other organizational tools. Staying organized is useful to the homesteader, too – at least in our case it is! With loads of information to remember, plenty of natural supplements & vitamins, and new chores, how can a person keep it all straight? Here are 15 things that help us. View full article »

Do you write notes to yourself when facing a challenge? I do.

Last Friday, I wrote about the seduction of waiting for something we really want. Much of this waiting is a result of my own need for time: time to heal, time to learn how to digest food properly, time to learn, time for emotional growth. I’ve found that the time I need for these things is reduced when I write little reminders to myself about old conclusions I reached when facing a similar challenge in the past. Writing them down also makes overcoming present problems easier, because I’ve brought my thoughts into concrete reality where they can be read and internalized. View full article »

Honoring the homesteading spirit of Spencer West.

This morning as I sip my peppermint tea and eat a gluten-casein-soy-egg-free blueberry muffin from New Day Bakery, it doesn’t matter that the doctors told me what I’m doing is impossible. After watching this video, I’m giving myself new options that the doctors said I didn’t have. Who cares that I’ve spent the last 3 days curled up around a toilet or on someone’s couch, when today I (once again) regained the ability to walk without pain? These little gains are important, because that’s what is going to help build our earth bag homestead and enable me to continue giving my best efforts to Ripples and our incredible international network of change makers. Never give up. View full article »

Fun relaxation!

What have I been up to lately? Well, swimming with bears in the ocean, and embracing tigers on mountaintops, of course! This qi gong video by Exercise to Heal with Lee Holden is gentle and a lot of fun, too. From bamboo swaying in the breeze, to satisfying immune-system-enhancing movements of the arms and hands, this video makes me feel like I’m traveling but also coming home at the same time. View full article »

One has to wonder: what’s left?!

I’ve been a vegetarian for many years, almost a decade now of transitioning from processed packaged food to a fresh vegetarian diet. It was a rather easy and delicious transition, introducing me to Indian dishes like korma with naan bread, Thai curries with spring rolls, mediterranean hummus with pita, beyond basic Itallian pastas, and varieties of quesadillas that were almost orgasmic. Besides ethnic cuisine, of course I enjoyed a broad range of comfort foods from the traditional American diet, like burgers, pizza, buttery mashed potatoes, cheesecake, biscuits, macaroni & cheese – almost anything besides chunks of meat was on my plate. View full article »

Hello, my name is Amanda and I’ll be your guinea pig this month!

Part of living a sustainable, alternative lifestyle is knowing how to heal one’s body. While this does not mean abandoning Western medicine and trying to sew your arm back on if it gets chopped off, taking peppermint tea for an upset stomach really can help. But what about treating ovarian cysts naturally? Here is everything you wanted to know (and more than you wanted to know) about why Ripples’ posts have not been coming in their regular Monday-Friday posting schedule. View full article »